Refrigerator.



I. WELCH.

REFRlGERATOR.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. 1918 1 ,275 ,5 1 1 Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

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REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, I918.

1,27 5,5 1 1. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

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D W ATTORNEY JAMES WELCH, or WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, I918.

Application filed February 23, 1918. Serial No. 218,760.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES WELCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Befrigerators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to furniture, and more especially to refrigerators; and the object of the same is to provide means to avoid opening the refrigerator (1001111111311 it becomes absolutely necessary.

This object is carried out by hlnging one or more panels of the door within its own frame, and lettingcach end hinged panel carry a shelf standlng normally inside the refrigerator body, but swingmg when de sired out through an opening in vthe door so that the remaining portion of the door structure does not need to be opened to gain access to what is on the shelf.

Other objects will appear from the following specification, and reference is made to the drawings, wheremz- Figure 1 is a perspective view of this entire refrigerator with its doors and one panel open,

Fig. -2 is an end elevation of the same, looking at the inside of the frontdoor whose panels are here closed,

. Fig. 3 is a lan view,

Fig. 4 is a ront elevation, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional detalls.

The general structure of this refrigerator comprises corner posts 1 connected by ends 2, a back 3, and a bottom 4, leaving the front and the top open. Within the latter is an ice compartment 5 having the usual dra1n pipe 6, and a small compartment 7 ad acent the ice as for milk; and individual doors 8 and 9 give access to these compartments from the top. The walls of this structure may be packed with asbestos or other nonconductor, as indicated in section 1n Flg. 5, and the packing may be continued across the bottom and may be contained within the top doors 8 and 9, but the main or front door is peculiarly constructed as w1ll be seen below.

The door frame 10 is connected at 11 by main hinges with one corner post, and its free edge carries one or more keepers 12 for latches 13 of any appropriate character but usually such as are employed on a refrigerator, and also may have a handle 14.

- which in th Thus the door may be swung open, or may be swung closed and latched as seen in Fig.

By preference the door is constructed of two panels, separated by a cross bar 15 e present case connects the side bars of the door frame, leaving openings through the frame above and below. I would have it clear, however, that I am not limited to the number, disposition or size and shape of these is mounted a panel 16 which may be glass if desired, the panel being disposed within its own frame 17 and the frame'hinged at 18 within the main frame 10. As best seen openings. Within each in Fig. 4, the hinges are at one end of the smaller frame 17 and a spring latch 19 connects the other end of this frame with the main frame 10. However, I do not wish to be confined to the particular form of latches employed, as the latch on the panels may duplicate that which holds the main door frame, closed, and the widest latitude in this respect will be left to the manufacturer. I prefer, for reasons which will appear below, that the panels of the door be transverse ones as far as possible. Each frame now carries at the inside of its panel 16 a shelf 20 as best seen in Fig. 1, that corner of the shelf near the free end of the smaller door being rounded ofl as at 21, while the other end of the shelf is supported from the small door frame as shown at 22. The upper shelf is disposed just where it will slide over the cross bar 15 of the main door frame, and in addition there may be provided on the interior of the refrigerator structure a series of rollers 23 whose trunnions 24 are mounted in bearings 25 secured to the end walls 2, but the line of rollers should be directly opposite the upper edge of the cross bar 15. Now when the main door is closed and then the smaller door swung closed, the shelf passes in over the cross bar and comes to rest upon the several rollers, and therefore if the shelf 6 contains a quite heavy load of meat, vegetables, etc., it will be well supported onthese rollers and -on this cross bar rather than from its hinges which might be inclined to become worn or broken. The lower door, as again seen in Fig. 1, will by preference be so disposed that its shelf may swing in right over the bottom 4 of the refrigerator and rest thereon, so that a heavy load on this shelf may be equally well supported.

If the structure were larger and the main door had several cross bars, there might be a shelf just above each, with or without a corresponding row of rollers opposite the upper edge of each cross bar.

Now when this refrigerator is being used, if it should be desired to take something off the upper shelf, it is only necessary to disconnect the latch 19 and swing the upper panel 16 out a little at its free end so that one can reach onto the shelf 20 and take ofi an apple or whatever is desired. The panel itself is then immediately closed to its usual position, when the frame 17 of the small door overlies the edge of the opening in the frame 10 of the large door and effectually seals the structure against the escape of refrigerated air. Attention is invited to the fact that the main door is not ordinarily opened at 11. In the usual construction of refrigerators the entire front must be opened when this door is swung at all, even though the user wants only to get a tomato or a single small article ofl of one of the shelves in the interior. The result is the escape of refrigerated air and inlet of warm air, and the temperature within the refrigerator rises to such an extent that it takes some time to restore it. The rounding off of the free or swinging end of the shelf is also of advantage. By this means it is quite possible to have the shelf occupy a considera e portion of the interior of the refrigerator ody, perhaps to the extent of leading all the way to the back 3. The use of the upper edge of the cross bar 15 as a support for so long a panel as that numbered; 16 and so long a shelf as that numered 20 is also a feature of the present invention. I do not wish to be confined to particulars of construction which do not enter into the gist of this invention.

What is claimed as new is 1. A refrigerator having an open front, and a series of rollers mounted across the body of the refrigerator on a single horizontal plane; combined with a hinged door to close said front, a panel movably mounted within an opening in said door, and a shelf carried by. said panel and adapted to be moved inwardly over and to be supported by said rollers when the panel is closed.

2. A refrigerator having an open front, and a series of rollers mounted across the body of the refrigerator on a single hori zontal plane; combined with a door hinged at one side within said opening and latched at its other side when it is closed, the door having a transverse opening through its body, and a small door hinged at one end within said opening adjacent the hinges of the main door and having along its inner face a horizontal shelf adapted to be moved over and supported by said rollers when said doors are closed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. JAMES WELCH. 'Witnesses:

THOS. F. DILLANE, DENNIS E. Monomer. 

